Discussion of Greek accentuation patterns for genitive and related forms, showing when names and polysyllabic nouns in -ων and -ος become oxytone, perispomenon, or barytone with examples (Θῶν, Ξενοφῶν, Δημοσθένης, βασιλεύς).
εἰ δέ τις εἴποι, διατί οὐκ ὀξύνεται, λέγομεν τὴν αἰτίαν ταύτην· αἱ συγκοπτόμεναι γενικαὶ ὀξυνόμεναι μιμοῦνται εὐθείας, οἷον ἡ ἀνδρός γενικὴ μιμεῖται τὴν χονδρός εὐθεῖαν καὶ πάλιν ἡ μητρός καὶ πατρός καὶ θυγατρός μιμοῦντ'α'ι τὴν ἰατρός εὐθεῖαν. ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἡ Θῶνος γενικὴ εἰ ὠξύνετο, οὐκ ἤμελλε μιμεῖσθαι εὐθεῖαν (οὐκ ἔχομεν γὰρ εὐθεῖαν εἰς 'νος' καθαρὸν δισύλλαβον τῷ 'ω' παραληγομένην καὶ ὀξυνομένην, βαρυνομένην δὲ ἔχομεν ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ κῶνος, ὦνος) τούτου χάριν οὐκ ὠξύνθη, ἀλλ´ ἐβαρύνθη. πρόσκειται δισύλλαβον διὰ τὸ κοινωνός, οἰωνός, Τιθωνός ὑπερδισύλλαβα. τὸ δὲ Θῶν Θῶντος ὄνομα κύριον προπερισπᾶται πρὸς τὸν χαρακτῆρα τῶν εἰς 'ων' περισπωμένων ὀνομάτων. τὰ γὰρ εἰς 'ων' περισπώμενα προπερισπῶνται κατὰ τὴν γενικὴν οἷον Ξενοφῶν Ξενοφῶντος, Κτησιφῶν Κτησιφῶντος, Ἀγλαοφῶν Ἀγλαοφῶντος, Δημοφῶν Δημοφῶντος· οὕτως οὖν καὶ Θῶν Θῶντος· ἢ πρὸς χαρακτῆρα τῆς κλῶν κλῶντος μετοχῆς καὶ ζῶν ζῶντος καὶ δρῶν δρῶντος λέγομεν Θῶν Θῶντος προπερισπωμένως. —ἡ »Ὦπος θυγάτηρ« (Od. α 429) πρὸς διαστολὴν τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ. ἡ τίνος ὅτε πυσματικῶς λέγεται, βαρύνεται πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τοῦ ἀορίστου ὀξυνομένου. ἐπὶ μέντοι μετοχῶν βαρύνεται στάντος, θέντος, δόντος, οἷς ἠκουλούθησε τὸ Φθάς Φθάντος κύριον καὶ Πράς Πράντος καὶ Ζάς Ζάντος. Αἱ ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς εἰς 'ος' ἀπὸ μὲν βαρυτόνων εὐθειῶν βαρύνονται οἷον Δημοσθένης Δημοσθένεος, Σωκράτεος, Πάριδος καὶ ὅλαι προπαροξύνονται· ἀπὸ δὲ ὀξυνομένων ἢ περισπωμένων πρὸ μιᾶς ἔχουσι τὸν τόνον, οἷον βασιλεύς βασιλῆος, ἱμάς ἱμάντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ξενοφῶν Ξενοφῶντος, Σιμοῦς Σιμοῦντος. σεσημείωνται ἡ γυναικός καὶ θυγατρός ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς οὖσαι ὀξυνόμεναι διὰ τὴν συνεκδρομὴν τῶν συγγενικῶν τῆς πατρός ἀνδρός μητρός. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ μητέρος καὶ θυγατέρος ἐντελεῖς οὖσαι καὶ παροξυνόμεναι σημειοῦνται, δέον προπαροξύνεσθαι ὡς Δημήτηρ Δημήτερος, εἰνάτηρ εἰνάτερος, φράτηρ φράτερος. ἀλλὰ καὶ αὗται συνεξῆλθον τῇ ἀνέρος πατέρος δαέρος.
If someone should say, “Why is it not accented with an acute?”, we state this reason: the syncopated genitives, when accented with an acute, imitate nominatives, as for example the genitive ἀνδρός imitates the nominative χονδρός, and again μητρός and πατρός and θυγατρός imitate the nominative ἰατρός. Since, then, the genitive Θῶνος, if it were acuted, would not be going to imitate a nominative (for we do not have a nominative in pure disyllabic -νος with ω in the penult and accented with an acute; but we do have one accented with a grave, as in κῶνος, ὦνος), for this reason it was not acuted but was given a grave. “Disyllabic” is added because κοινωνός, οἰωνός, Τιθωνός are more than disyllabic. The proper name Θῶν, Θῶντος is proparoxytone in accordance with the pattern of the names in -ων with circumflex. For those in -ων with circumflex are proparoxytone in the genitive, e.g. Ξενοφῶν Ξενοφῶντος, Κτησιφῶν Κτησιφῶντος, Ἀγλαοφῶν Ἀγλαοφῶντος, Δημοφῶν Δημοφῶντος; so too Θῶν Θῶντος; or, in accordance with the pattern of the participle κλῶν κλῶντος and ζῶν ζῶντος and δρῶν δρῶντος, we say Θῶν Θῶντος with proparoxytone accent. — “Ὦπος θυγάτηρ” (Od. α 429) is for distinguishing it from ὀφθαλμός. The form τίνος, when it is said interrogatively, is given a grave in contrast to the aorist, which is acuted. In participles, however, it is given a grave: στάντος, θέντος, δόντος; and to these there followed the proper name Φθάς Φθάντος and Πράς Πράντος and Ζάς Ζάντος. Forms in -ος of more than two syllables, derived from barytone nominatives, are given a grave, e.g. Δημοσθένης Δημοσθένεος, Σωκράτεος, Πάριδος, and all are proparoxytone; but those derived from forms accented with an acute or a circumflex have the accent on the antepenult, e.g. βασιλεύς βασιλῆος, ἱμάς ἱμάντος, and also Ξενοφῶν Ξενοφῶντος, Σιμοῦς Σιμοῦντος. Noted as exceptions are γυναικός and θυγατρός, which, though more than two syllables, are acuted because of their running together with the related forms πατρός, ἀνδρός, μητρός. And also μητέρος and θυγατέρος, being full forms and paroxytone, are noted, though they ought to be proparoxytone like Δημήτηρ Δημήτερος, εἰνάτηρ εἰνάτερος, φράτηρ φράτερος. But these too went along together with ἀνέρος, πατέρος, δαέρος.